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Tag: OTT

  • Vidnet2018: Regionalisation, localisation the way forward for the OTT industry

    Vidnet2018: Regionalisation, localisation the way forward for the OTT industry

    MUMBAI: Over the top (OTT) is no more a baby. The ecosystem has been eating and growing slowly, taking centre stage in several media and entertainment related scenarios.

    On the stage of Vidnet 2018, hosted by Indiantelevision.com, experts from India’s leading OTT platforms were present. ZEE5 India CEO Tarun Katial, Amazon Prime Video India business director and head Gaurav Gandhi, YouTube India entertainment head Satya Raghavan, Voot head marketing and partnerships Akash Banerji and Hotstar consumer and revenue lead Prabh Simran Singh shared their key learning in a session named ‘Lessons from Battlefronts’.

    Moderator of the session, Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor in chief Anil Wanvari made the prelude of the session saying that it has been few years since the OTT ecosystem started in India and how it has been challenging since then. He also mentioned YouTube has been a pioneer much before any other platform. Another leading platform Hotstar came in later. He started the discussion asking market leader YouTube's Raghavan what have been the lessons over the years in terms of consumers, consumption and the way the market is playing out.

    While asked what the industry has learnt, Raghavan mentioned a very important point that is obviously putting consumer the “queen” before anything. He shared how consumer taste and presence dictate the core of content.

    “Second is that it takes a whole village to build this entire ecosystem. It was only when accessibility opened up and all of us saw that it’s not just that 100 or 150 million people who are out there to consume a content. The depth is just amazing that this country has as evident by television. So when we saw access open up, when we saw consumers coming up from every part of the country, creation started to follow. Today, there are creators on YouTube who are uploading content from over 400 locations in the country,” he added.

    Gandhi, now with Amazon Prime Video India, saw the OTT industry very closely since a nascent stage. According to him, people are hungry for good stories and Prime Video goes bigger with every original show. Added to that, he thinks going regional is essential for streaming services given the diversity of the Indian market. He also highlighted the fact that adding value to service makes customers want to pay.

    “I think given how diverse we are for streaming, regional is essential. The more you go regional, the bigger counts you get. We have now six languages of content. We have seen tremendous growth there. We have introduced Hindi UI, we will be following up it with Tamil and Telugu very soon. So, regionalisation and localisation is the second big thing,” Gandhi commented.

    Agreeing with Gandhi, Katial also highlighted the importance of going more regional and adding more languages to the library. While tech giant Google has been promoting voice search lately, Katial also believed that both in the top and bottom end of the market, searching by ‘type’ is not the way to go. Considerably, ZEE5 has voice search available in 12 languages.

    Voot’s Banerji added to these insights that delivering a good viewing experience for consumers is essential along with good content. Banerji also added that as a platform Voot believes that the depth of content in the library is important along with the width.

    For Hotstar, live sports has been very critical in building its business. Breaking the myth that sports is a large screen experience, Prabh Simran Singh commented that consumers also love to watch it on the small screen. Rather than screen, moment matters. He also added that uni-dimensional focus on business model helps as Hotstar built both SVOD and AVOD category side by side.

    All the experts also agreed on the polarised nature of the Indian market. While there are consumers wanting low bandwidth video, there are plenty of them wanting HD quality video. One segment may fit into AVOD business model, another one for high-end subscription. Smart TVs are emerging as an important device for consumption at the same time with feature phones priced at Rs 1500. While young audience still dominates digital space, consumption of spiritual content in older age group, educational content among kids are likewise prevalent.

    “There is no one type of customer, there are so many kinds of customers and it is how we fulfill their desire. The biggest challenge we have is how our storytelling can keep pace with people’s desire and provide the kind of content they want,” Gandhi commented.

    However, a comment from Raghavan sums up the most unique nature of OTT industry here. According to him rather than a battlefront, the Indian market is an amazing place to partner and collaborate with multiple players in the entire value chain.

  • ALTBalaji content head Nimisha Pandey steps down

    ALTBalaji content head Nimisha Pandey steps down

    MUMBAI: Nimisha Pandey, the content head of ALTBalaji, the digital platform of Balaji Telefilms Ltd, has put down her papers. She is currently serving her notice period. She joined the OTT platform in 2016. The development was confirmed by Pandey. 

    Pandey started her career as an executive producer in Multi Screen Media Pvt Ltd (Sony Pictures Networks). Later, she worked as a creative director in several production houses including Balaji Telefilms Ltd. completed her education in direction from the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.

    According to sources close to the development, she is likely to join Amazon Prime Video.  Though asked on that, she did deny to comment anything and said she is exploring very intresting opportnuities at the time. 

  • Bodhi Tree focusing on three verticals to scale up business

    Bodhi Tree focusing on three verticals to scale up business

    MUMBAI: Over the top (OTT) services have given a big boost to production houses in the country  Bodhi Tree Multimedia, started by Mautik Tolia and Sukesh Motwani five years ago, only concentrated on general entertainment programs on TV initially. Following the change in the overall entertainment industry, they have also expanded their work arena. Currently standing with a team of around 50 people, the production house is aspiring to scale up its business by focusing on three verticals – GEC, regional and the freshly included web content.

    The three verticals operate with completely separate teams. Show type dictates team structure because sensibility for each genre and vertical is different. Bodhitree Multimedia’s three shows with two leading broadcasters are currently on air including Aap ke Aa Jane se, Fearfiles and Hrudayaat Vaaje Something. After already having established its position in the TV production space, it has also entered the booming digital space. Its two web series Banned and 13 Mussourie are also streaming on Viu, while one with Voot is yet to be released.

    In the content pipeline, it has five-six web properties for different OTT platforms while for GEC two-three shows with leading broadcasters are under development. The next content slate also include biopics and period pieces. Both the founders spoke to Indiantelevision.com and reaffirmed that they will pay equal attention to all the segments.

    “We are very clear right now in terms of being able to find a way to give equal importance to each vertical. We still believe TV is big and it will grow and we need to have a very strong presence there. We also believe web is here to stay and gives us more experimentation for new content. We also feel regional content is going to be lot more relevant now both on TV and web. We are also focusing on synergies that can be worked on between OTT, television and regional content,” Bodhi Tree Multimedia director Tolia commented.

    “We are very much focused on different business activities. Only thing we are doing is being clear about the slate we are developing and the product we are developing. So, there we are particular about what we do but not in terms of a single line of business,” he added.

    Talking about digital content, Tolia said that since it’s an evolving medium right now, content creators are trying to figure out the type of viewers and their preference for content.

    However, along with the rapid growth of OTT in the country, the question of regulation has also been raised. A certain section of the industry has feared if a regulatory framework comes in, it may curb the creative freedom of producers and the platforms.

    “I feel that as long as there are some very basic standards and practices, it’s about how to have some ethics for content. Those ethics need not be very restricted. The whole idea is that content has to understand and mature. So, there will be certain discussions that will happen, certain kind of code that should come but how restricted that’s code going to be that’s the debate,” Bodhi Tree Multimedia director Motwani commented on the issue.

    Over the five years going through changes, working with leading platforms, the road was definitely not all flowery. Motwani said they took up interesting challenges in terms of content they made which were slightly different. As the content they create is more complex, realistic with more layered characters, they end up spending a little more time than other producers. Due to the run-of-the-mill content, they don’t follow the usual economy of scale model. Hence it has led to the question if they can make the amount of money that another producer makes.

    “We are passionate and that keeps our hunger growing. So that has been one fascinating challenge for us and also the idea that while we are taking on a different type, can it still deliver a hit. How do we mix popular elements with different ideas, how do we mix the grammar of telling a story which can reach to a mass viewer while the theme itself is slightly unconventional?” Motwani added.

    In a stark contrast to many other production houses who concentrate on only one genre, Bodhi Tree Multimedia keeps working in different segments across TV and digital. In addition to that, as demand for OTT content increases, it is optimistic that new opportunities will open up. While it acknowledges the learning curve has to be very steep and high for developing expertise in all segments, there is confidence that they are strategically placed at the right position.

  • Vidnet2018: OTT industry says innovation the need of the hour

    Vidnet2018: OTT industry says innovation the need of the hour

    MUMBAI: In the last couple of years, over-the-top platforms have emerged as mainstream entertainment source going beyond “mail-metro-millennial” phenomenon for a sizeable population in India despite television still holding its dominance.

    The beauty of the Indian market is its diversity enabling opportunities for various business models and content in several regional languages along with Hindi and English. However, with the growth of the industry, new challenges in different areas including technology and regulations are cropping up. To delve deeper into the issues, experts across the entire ecosystem came together at Vidnet 2018 hosted by Indiantelevision.com powered by Verizon which had ZEE5 as title partner. The long day summit became a perfect stage to discuss relevant issues concerning the industry as well as to gain new insights.

    At the beginning of the event, a very interesting session with Hulu Japan CCO Kazufumi Nagasawa moderated by Indiantelevision.com founder and CEO Anil Wanvari set the tone for the day. The spokesperson shared the state of Japanese OTT market which is super crowded as well. But in contrast to the Indian market, most players are focused on SVoD service in Japan. However, Hulu Japan stands with 1.8 million paying subscribers with more than 50,000 hours of content. The session was followed by Verizon Digital Media Services EMEA and India managing director Taylor Riese who also said they are listing the challenges in the market with infrastructure in India.

    The attraction of the day was definitely the power packed session with speakers from the most popular OTT services and digital video platforms in India. ZEE5 India CEO Tarun Katial, Amazon Prime Video India business director and head Gaurav Gandhi, YouTube India entertainment head Satya Raghavan, Voot head marketing and partnerships Akash Banerji, Hotstar consumer and revenue lead Prabh Simran Singh shared their key learnings.

    Gandhi debunking the myth that Indians don’t want to pay for digital content saying that if customers see value in product they won’t mind paying and Katial mentioned an important fact that content cost in OTT is not going to be same as TV. While the session was named as “lessons from battlefront”, all the experts more or less agreed that the Indian market gives best opportunities for partnerships and collaborations.

     

    In another impacting session, Green Gold Animation founder and MD Rajiv Chilaka, Pocket Aces founder Ashwin Suresh, Contiloe founder Abhimanyu Singh from, SVF Entertinment president Ravi Sharma and Goldi Behel discussed the power of local storytelling. While five of them have been a part of the experience in creating versatile content targeting a particular audience, they highlighted how the time is perfect for content creators to be in the space owing to the new digital mediums. Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair, another veteran in the production business, mentioned another important fact that content is not a commodity that someone can win with a price war, rather it has to be won with a good story.

    Other than content, topics like the need for unified video measurement for better data was discussed in presence of IPG Mediabrands India CEO Shashi Sinha, MX Player CEO Karan Bedi, BARC India COO Romil Ramgarhia and Eros Now COO Ali Hussein.  Sinha said industry stakeholders need to arrive at a consensus for unified measurement to be a reality in India. Interestingly BARC India COO commented their technology is fully equipped to measure digital video.

    Content is king but it cannot conquer customers alone if distribution is not well enough. Nowadays people watch OTT content via various devices including basics like smart TVs, smartphones. Telcos also bundle OTT apps with their services to acquire more consumers as well as make it easy for those platforms to spread out. Questions related to making better innovations in distributions were discussed by ALT Balaji COO Sunil Nair and Viu head monetisation and distribution Sameer Gogate.

    Even the confab delved deep into the creator’s brains, tech strategies as various production houses, cloud servicing companies were also present in the conference to discuss their play. Ongoing issues like how to regulate OTT platforms were also discussed by two eminent lawyers, Abhishek Malhotra and Nidhish Mehrotra. Other industry stalwarts including Eros Now COO Ridhima Lulla, Hotstar EVP and chief marketing officer Sidharth Shakdher, Facebook entertainment partnerships head Saket Jha Saurabh, Arre co-founder and CEO Ajay Chacko, ZEE5 business head Manish Aggarwal, Vertice Entertainment founder and CEO Varun Mathur also shared key insights through different sessions.

    Though the ecosystem is evolving, it will take more time to say what’s going to work or what not.

  • Tarun Katial fuels ZEE5’s audacious ‘mission 100 million’

    Tarun Katial fuels ZEE5’s audacious ‘mission 100 million’

    MUMBAI: Team ZEE5 returned from its Russian sojourn last month, checking into a new office address in Andheri East. The move away from ZEEL’s Lower Parel headquarters is the latest in a slew of changes being effected at the media conglomerate’s OTT business. Interestingly, a parallel can be drawn from the reforms in 1980s Russia to highlight the shift occurring at ZEE5 India. Perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) – have been key change drivers of brand ZEE5 under boss Tarun Katial.

    Manish Aggarwal’s promotion to business head was followed by an injection of high-profile talent in the form of Rajneel Kumar – as business head expansion projects and head of products – and Taranjeet Singh – chief revenue officer and business head – new projects; the nucleus around which the brand will now be built.

    ZEE5 has been an effective communicator of its vision as a brand, and has so far been in control of the narrative. From articulating the rationale behind partnerships with Airtel TV and Reliance Jio to being open to dialogue over other low-key deals, the company’s engagement strategy has been simple, effective and on point.

    Another significant development at the company’s congregation in Moscow was the clarion call of ‘mission 100 million’ Tarun seems to have given his team, setting the agenda for the future. Having clocked 41 million monthly active users on last official count; the next big goal now seems to be breaching the three-figure MAU mark.

    If Q2 numbers are anything to go by, then ZEE5 appears to have made significant gains with a 190 per cent growth in users, who spend an average of 31 minutes per day on the streaming app, with a 340 per cent rise in video views since April 2018.

    This can be largely attributed to Tarun’s aggression and instinctive genius in creating unique but mass content. The focus now needs to shift towards stepping up the technology in terms of user experience and robustness, if a serious challenge to Star India’s OTT Hotstar has to be mounted.

    With the impending leadership change at Hotstar, and competition dialing up their investments and fostering new partnerships, the very nature of India’s OTT landscape could alter.

    As the super streamers jostle for second spot in the OTT sweepstakes, here are some insights from one the central figures – Tarun Katial – to this exciting high-stakes play

    There’s a significant upsurge in user engagement. Were Originals the major driver? What was catch-up content’s role?

    Content in regional languages is the clear protagonist of the story we have charted out. Not just have we curated original content in six languages (Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali), but made that content available across all these languages in dubbed versions. In addition, we offer great options of searchability in eleven languages – by text and voice – a first for any OTT platform. These include Gujarati, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Kannada and English in addition to the six mentioned above. Thus, a subscriber is never at a loss on the platform on account of the language of maneuverability.

    We, at ZEE5, also make the most of the inherent strength of the Group in terms of the rich portfolio of viewing content that ZEE has developed over time. And we bring that entire repertoire of content on the platform so as to encourage viewers across the globe who have missed out on any of their favourite shows to get up-to-speed. ZEE5 provides subscribers the choice to binge watch from 1 lakh hours of On Demand Content and 90+ live TV channels.

    The OTT audience is a very unique one and recognising the evolved nature of the sensibility, we have developed innovative marketing tools that has kept them on the platform. In addition to this, we also have discount offers for the price-sensitive first-time user.

    What have been the major reasons for the rise in MAU?

    Content has been our mainstay, and our edgy, relatable content line-up has found a huge audience not just in the main metros, but also tier II and III cities of the country. Our audience has developed great affinity with our originals across Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Bengali. This is in addition to all the content via our partner channels and fed onto the platform for those who may have missed the programmes during the airing time.

    This, complemented by the state-of-the-art technology we have deployed on the platform, offers our audience a winning combination. Tools such as Variable Bit Rate, P2P CDN and Latest Content Encoders have reduced the data usage for content consumption. For example – a film that required 2 GB data to watch earlier, now consumes a maximum of 200-300 MB data only. With a view to making our systems smarter, we have partnered with CDN providers to transmit data to the user’s phone basis his / her location so as to render an experience without impacting viewing quality.

    Our marketing team has been aggressively forging innovative partnerships and alliances to add value to the digital journey of our subscribers. This includes partnerships with travel portals including makemytrip.com considering the immediate synergy, as also EZMall.com and payment gateways such as PhonePe, considering their online behavior.

    How will you keep up the pace of this upsurge?

    For digital entertainment players like us, there’s huge scope in this data-rich consumer landscape. Industry reports and data clearly shows that the demand and propensity to consume exists.

    In the coming months, you will see us better engaging with OEMs to facilitate embeds into the handsets, while the association with Airtel, Amazon Fire Stick and Xiaomi continue. This will be in addition to our tie-ups with payment wallets such as PhonePe for additional benefits, value-adds for our subscribers with other digital players as listed above. Thus, our subscribers have enough and more reasons to come back to us, in addition to the exciting content line-up.

    Our content line-up with the additional uploads every month and an improved experience of recommendations using AI and Machine Learning will be an added incentive for subscribers to explore the platform and stumble on hitherto undiscovered content pieces.

    After Karenjit, what's going to be your flagship show?

    Our strong content library has shows ranging across crime, thriller, comedy, biopic, family drama genres in different languages. One of our marquee shows releasing this year is the Saqib Salim and Ranvir Shorey-starrer Rangbaaz. Set against the rustic background of Gorakhpur, the crime/ thriller series is inspired from a true story. 

    We are releasing a mix of originals across languages to keep the users entertained and wanting for more. Some of our big ongoing and upcoming properties include the ZEE5 Film Festival, Malayalam Shorts – comprising three Malayalam short films, Row No. 26 – a web series on renowned author Priya Kumar’s book, etc. Thus, there will be an entire set of shows on the platform on a monthly basis.

    Can you talk a bit about content pipeline for next 6 months?

    Our upcoming Bengali original Paoli Dam starrer Kaali, Row No. 26 – an adaptation of Priya Kumar’s novel, Saie Tamhankar starrer ‘Date with Saie’ are few of the exciting shows to watch out for. This, in addition to some big 2018 blockbuster digital releases and much more.

    Recently ZEE had a film festival. Are consumers showing enough interest in original films?

    The response to the ZEE5 Film Festival has been phenomenal. The views generated by the Indian and Pakistani movies have reinforced our belief that the OTT audience is looking for engaging content. Stories said interestingly will always draw an audience.

    ZEE5 is now available in 150 markets. Which international markets will be prioritized?

    We have recently announced our plan for international expansion for ZEE5. Under this, the mobile application will be released in more than 190 countries across the world in Android, iOS and web formats. Starting from next April, we will start reaching out to our audiences in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Russia where we will have originals made in accordance to their taste and preferences along with dubbed content. We will design our strategies keeping in mind that the audience is not the same everywhere. While the developed markets will entirely be on the subscription model, Middle East and North Africa will have a combination of AVoD and SVoD.

    Subscriber growth in terms of percentage.

    The number of ZEE5 active users have gone up by 190% per cent since April 2018. Considering that we have clocked in these numbers in just eight months of launching the platform, we are very proud of our performance. Statistics also indicate that our video views have grown by 340 per cent as compared to the last month indicating significant improvement in user engagement.

    Are you going to tie up with any local cable broadband providers?

    We will soon announce our alliances with renowned cable broadband providers. This will further enhance our reach and connectivity.

    Given that your leadership style is pretty aggressive, how are you expanding the ZEE5 operations going forward?

    At ZEE5, we are a very passionate team that is driven by the desire to succeed.

    While this is the team that puts together the platform, we are also consumers of OTT content. And hence, we become the best judge of the efficacy of the experience that our subscribers are privy to. So, outdoing our own expectations is what drives us, and we have loads of fun doing it day in and day out!

    Our aim eventually is to make ZEE5 a platform that is extremely intelligent in predicting consumer tastes and preferences, such that the home screen is a bespoke version for every subscriber.

    You say ‘ZEE5 is the second most popular OTT platform’. On what parameters is this based?

    According to public numbers and data, we are the second largest OTT platform in the country.

    You’ve now had some time to settle down in your new role. What are the holes that need to be plugged?

    The past eight months have been an absolute roller-coaster ride for us at ZEE5, and this has been possible only on account of the forward-looking and dynamic team we have here. As a Group, we have always believed in nurturing internal talent, while continuing to attract the best in the industry.

    As we continue on our journey, we will continue to build the platform with a focus on consumer, technology, data and content as its pillars.

  • Amazon Prime Video aims to keep evolving with customer taste

    Amazon Prime Video aims to keep evolving with customer taste

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video is boosting its content play in the market. The OTT platform is all set to stream its fifth Indian original Mirzapur from 16 November. In a media roundtable, Amazon Prime Video India content director and head Vijay Subramaniam also added that it will scale up originals further in 2020. Nine new Hindi originals are planned for 2019.

    “I think it’s extremely important to understand that content has scale cinematically and our marketing matches that. It’s important for customers to feel that they are watching premium content and all of that in Rs 129 in a month,” Subramaniam commented.

    It has been two years since Amazon Prime Video launched in India in the burgeoning OTT market.  Since then, it has been very focused on customer taste and preferences. However, as India is a diverse market, the company wants to ensure that everything it does embraces diversity. 

    “It is a large market with multiple demographics and multiple segments. So it’s important to understand how we can cater to all of them consistently. Our customers are constantly evolving in their taste and preferences and we need to be updated on the kind of stories they watch and would love to watch. We need to go on that evolution with them," Subramaniam added.

    The company, unlike its rival Netflix, has prioritised localisation since beginning. While the service already has content in six regional languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali and Kannada, it is also looking at adding more regional languages in next 12-18 months.

    Interestingly, Subramaniam said that when new a language offering is launched, customers first seek movies. Hence, it tries to ensure adding the best and latest movies in the language to the library. After understanding their taste and preference, it adds content in other forms including originals. Right now the regional languages under evaluation for series-based content are Tamil and Telugu.

    “In Tamil and Telugu, after having operated for a year, we looked at the opportunity to produce some series. Gangster was our first, another one in Tamil is coming out at the end of this month. These are both pilots in that sense. By putting these out we are trying to learn and understand our customers and get their feedback on what they like to watch. And once we have that we will definitely double down and scale up our originals in regional languages,” he added.

    For the new nine-episode web series Mirzapur, Amazon Prime Video India has again collaborated with Excel Media & Entertainment after the Emmy winning Inside Edge. Set in the heartland of India, the show revolves around drugs, guns and the politics of power in a land where might is right.  For the new show, while there have been enough large-scale outdoor marketing, there will be a lot of initiatives on the digital front too.

    Amazon is confident that Mirzapur will make a mark not only in India but also globally. Breathe also did exceptionally well with 40 per cent viewers from outside India.

  • Amagi appoints Stephanie Lee to lead market expansion in APAC

    Amagi appoints Stephanie Lee to lead market expansion in APAC

    MUMBAI: Amagi, a cloud-based technology for TV and OTT broadcasters, has announced that it has appointed Stephanie Lee as head of sales – APAC, to expand its footprint in the region. The appointment follows the recent opening of Amagi’s subsidiary and regional sales office in Singapore.

    Lee will be based in Singapore and will report to global sales leader at Amagi Bangalore, Ritu Sharma. He has over 15 years of experience in managing regional sales functions for technology services companies in the digital content and media space. “Amagi is synonymous with broadcast innovation across the world. I am very excited at the opportunity to lead the company’s growth in APAC markets. Be it traditional TV or OTT platforms, Amagi is well-positioned to attain industry leadership with its cloud-driven business models for cost efficiency and revenue growth. I look forward to working with regional broadcasters, operators, and platforms in shaping their cloud transformation journeys,” added Lee.

    Changing broadcast content consumption patterns coupled with increasing multi-screen device adoption across the APAC region are driving TV networks, OTT platforms, and operators to embrace new-age technologies to stay relevant and be profitable. Amagi CEO Deepakjit Singh said, “Amagi’s innovative cloud technologies for managing entire broadcast operations, as well as monetising content for both traditional TV and OTT are becoming very attractive to industry players in the region. Stephanie is an accomplished sales professional with a clear understanding of the evolving industry needs. She will be a tremendous asset to Amagi in building sustainable, long-standing client relationships which are pivotal for furthering our growth trajectory in APAC.”

    In addition to managed broadcast services, Amagi offers cloud playout, live orchestration, geo-targeted advertising, OTT auto ad detection and personalisation solutions. Globally, Amagi manages over 150+ channels across 40+ countries for customers including Turner Broadcasting, Viceland, Discovery Communications’ DSPORT, Zee TV, Sony LIV, B4U Network, Viacom18, among others. The company has been consistently adding new customers in the APAC region – ACJ O Shopping, Flik TV, Lightning International, Dim Sum TV to name a few. Amagi is also helping many of its clients in the US to deliver channels in Singapore and other markets through its preferred operator networks.

  • Amazon Prime Video launches Hindi UI

    Amazon Prime Video launches Hindi UI

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video has taken localisation to a higher level by adding support for a Hindi user interface, including search, navigation and customer support in Hindi on the Prime Video app and on PrimeVideo.com. Moreover, a large selection of Prime Video’s content can be watched with Hindi show descriptions and Hindi subtitles.

    Prime members, whose choice of language is Hindi, can now discover and enjoy Prime Video’s collection of entertainment content in their preferred language. Prime Original series like Comicstaan, Inside Edge, and the upcoming much awaited Mirzapur, Bollywood blockbusters such as Padmaavat, Raazi and Race 3 will have show-titles and show descriptions in Hindi.

    The facility is not limited to Indian content only. Hollywood hits like Justice League, Baywatch and Passengers can be watched with dubbing in Hindi or subtitles in Devanagari script. Viewers can also manage their account information, payments, add to their watch-list, and receive customer support in the language.

    “As Prime Video’s customer base expands across India, we believe it becomes important to not just offer content in local languages, but to also give customers the option to access the Prime Video app and website in their language of choice. At Amazon, we are continuously customising our offering based on the needs of the customer; we are delighted to make Prime Video available in Hindi, with functionalities such us search, navigation and browsing, so that a large base of our audience has an even more engaging experience on our service,” Amazon Prime Video India business director and head Gaurav Gandhi said.

    “We will continue to invest in localisation initiatives, adding more titles with Hindi subtitles or dubbing, and evolving the product experience for Prime members in India, enabling them to watch their favorite movies and TV shows at a time, on the device and in the language of their choice. Our efforts of localization will continue with a Tamil and Telugu user interface for customers which we will offer very soon,” he added.

    The video streaming service has content available in six Indian languages. The new move clearly indicates how Amazon Prime Video is targeting to penetrate mass audience unlike its international rival Netflix.

  • Netflix CEO excited about Disney’s entry into OTT

    Netflix CEO excited about Disney’s entry into OTT

    MUMBAI: Netflix has a new market threat – the upcoming streaming service Disney+. Despite all the market speculation, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings seems calm and relaxed. Hastings has said in an interaction with ET Now that he is excited about Disney’ launch and even praised it saying that the service looks good. He also mentioned that the service is thriving already in a highly competitive space amid HBO, YouTube, Hotstar, Amazon and linear TV.

    In terms of the Indian market, where the company is looking for the next 100 million subscribers, Hastings thinks they have been very successful in three years. After a free trial of one month, Netflix charges Rs 500 per month, which Hastings thinks is totally worthy for the high quality content the service offers as people in India pay Rs 200-250 ticket for one movie. He admits that there are free services like YouTube and cheaper options like Hotstar and Amazon but the Netflix boss is confident about his content.

    While Hastings does not deny the fact that with the current pricing it’s tough to penetrate mass audience, he thinks it is good enough for the first 100 million. For the first segment of target audience, Netflix is really focused on the fragment that watches English entertainment. Later on, the company will explore Hindi and other regional languages after getting into that market properly. He also said Netflix will have more pricing options in future but not for the next couple of years.

    “You know, we are the only one in the world with Sacred Games, House of Cards, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. So, all our content is exclusive and if we can build excitement around our content which is a unique proposition, then we will have great success. When you subscribe to Netflix, it’s not the only thing you do, you may use YouTube, Hotstar, other entertainment apps, so it’s one of the things that makes you happy,” Hastings commented.

    After Netflix’s Q3 results, there were reports that Netflix may slightly tilt its strategy when it comes to original movie release. There may be a number of Netflix originals which will have limited theatre screening.  While asked about that, Hastings said it already releases movies in film festivals and the OTT  is only an extension of that.

    As many investors are betting hard on Netflix, the CEO was asked about the reason. Taking the example of India where online content is exploding after Jio’s entry, he said that it is happening everywhere else in the world. People are using more internet thanks to low cost data which is really propelling the growth of services like Netflix.

  • TRAI releases paper on OTT expanding its definition

    TRAI releases paper on OTT expanding its definition

    MUMBAI: India’s telecom and broadcast regulator TRAI today released another consultation paper on OTT services seeking to expand the definition of the sector and also the regulator’s jurisdiction over a sector hitherto “unregulated”.

    “Would inter-operability among OTT services and also inter-operatability of their services with TSPs services promote competition and benefit the users? What measures may be taken, if any, to promote such competition? Please justify your answer with reasons.” Questions like these in the paper hint that the government and the regulator are looking at regulations for the OTT services that would include both audio and video services.

    Earlier,    the    Authority  issued   a   consultation   paper  on    Regulatory Framework for  Over-the-top (OTT) services on  the   27th of  March, 2015, which also included questions  on  the   principles of  net neutrality, reasonableness of traffic management practices, non-price based discrimination  of  services and  transparency  requirements.  Due to the large  number   of   issues  and  their  complexity, it   became   difficult  to deliberate upon and  conclude all  of  them  together. Therefore, Authority decided to  deal with related issues in  separate parts, keeping focus on  a core  set  of issues  each time. Accordingly, the  following actions have been taken:

    a. The  Authority issued regulations on  Prohibition of Discriminatory Tariffs for  Data Services Regulations,  2016.

    b. Recommendations on provisioning of free data given to Government on  19th December  2016,

    c. Recommendations on  Net  Neutrality to  Government on   Nov  28,

    2017.

    d. Recommendations on privacy, security, and data ownership issues in the telecom sector submitted to Government on  July 16,  2018.

    3.     Questions relating to the potential market failures in each segment, the appropriate tools to address those failures and the costs and benefits of any possible regulatory interventions have also been investigated.

    4.  Keeping in  v1ew the fast evolving nature of the  sector,  it is also considered useful to   examine  OTI related aspects, after taking into account the changes that have taken place since March, 2015.

    5.  The objective of  this Consultation Paper is to  analyse and discuss the  implications of  the  growth of  OTis;  the  relationship between OTI players and TSPs; the similarity, if any, between services provided by  the TSPs and  OTI  players;  changes  that  may be   required in the current regulatory framework to  govern these entities; and the manner in  which such changes should be  effected . While preparing this consultation paper, information collected by    the   Authority in response to previous consultations has also been used. It  may also be   noted that current consultation is not intended  to  revisit regulations  or   recommendations given  by the  Authority earlier on  OTI, which had broader implications and were  therefore concluded first following due consultation and diligence.

    6.  Comments on the issues raised in the consultation paper are invited from the stakeholders by  10.12.2018 and counter comments, if any,  by 24.12.2018.